Prayer and how you see God

Is God like a soft-drink machine, dispensing drinks when you insert the right amount of money?

Is he so far above you that you're sure he doesn't hear you - or even see you?

Is he like an angry parent, disgusted with you and bound to deny what you ask of him?

If you see him any of these ways, you may have trouble opening the door to God through prayer.

Last week, I wrote that how you see yourself will influence how you pray.

It is equally true that how you see God will affect your prayers.

More than a century and a half ago, the great British preacher Charles Spurgeon declared that you should approach God with awe and respect while rejoicing that he loves to pour good things over you.

In The Power of Prayer in a Believer's Life, Spurgeon says the writer of Hebrews gives a good picture of God and prayer in chapter 4, verse 16: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Here are Spurgeon's main points in my words:

• When we pray, we are entering "the courts of the royalty of heaven".  God is the awe-inspiring king seated on a throne.  We need to bow before him in reverence.
• We need to submit to him and his will.
• We should enter his presence joyfully and thankfully because he has called us into his presence.
• We should stand before him confidently and with great expectations because he is king and he offers grace to his loved ones.
• We can expect grace and mercy from God even though we sense our unworthiness.  "It is in Him (Christ) that God is able to dispense grace to the most guilty of mankind."

Spurgeon eloquently expands on these and other thoughts in his article.

But his point is simple: God is a stupendous king - marvelous to behold - who loves us and offers us good gifts.  Our task is to recognize that what he wants for us is far better than anything we could ask or imagine.

As we seek what he wants for us, we can be sure we will receive his mercy and grace.